Trolley-head



No. 625,263. Patented May [6, I899. A. E. HITCH.

TROLLEY HEAD.

(Application filed Aug. 6, 1897.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT E. HITCH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AKRON TROLLEY XVHEEL COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO.

TROLLEY-HEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,263, dated May 16, 1899.

Application filed August 6, 1897.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. HITCH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Heads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is for a trolley-head in which the wheel shallbe supported on ball-bearings.

One of the objects of myinvention is to provide such a head with means whereby the wheel may be installed in a solid harp without springing the arms thereof, while having the central bolt securely and efficiently held in those arms.

Another object is to supply a simple and compact ball-bearing trolley-head which shall have no projecting parts on which the conductor is liable to catch if the wheel leaves it.

The invention supplies means for converting an old trolley harp and wheel into a very eflicient ball-bearing head.

The invention consists in the combinations of parts hereinafter described, and definitely enumerated in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved trolley-head, and Fig. 2 is a central transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the nuts which screw onto the ends of the central bolt.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the usual bifurcated harp of a trolleyhead, which is secured to the trolley-pole in any suitable manner.

B represents the trolley-wheel. A hole 1) extends through the wheel. On each side of the wheel this hole terminates in a ball-recess b. A hardened-steel bearing-cup is preferably forced into this recess, and thus takes the wear off of the wheel itself, which is preferably made of brass.

D represents the central bolt, which extends through holes a in the upper ends of the harp-arms d and through the wheel and has on it between the arms of the harp a pair of cones E, between which and the bearingcups roll balls F. The wheel is thus out of contact with the bolt and with all other parts of Serial No. 647,313. (No model.)

the trolley-head except the balls F. The bolt D is screw-threaded throughout its length,and the cones, which have engaging threads, may therefore be adjusted upon the bolt by being rotated. On the outer side of the cones E are formed the integral nuts or flattened portions e, by which the cones may be turned by a suitable wrench in adjusting the bear- On the outer side of each harp-arm around the bolt-hole a is the recess a preferably circular, in which stands a nut G, which screws onto the end of the bolt. This nut may be of ordinary hexagon or square shape and room provided between it and the Wall of the recess for a socket-Wrench, though I prefer to make the nut in the form shown in the drawings, having a pair of diametrically opposed notches g, by which it is adapted to be turned by a spanner-wrench.

In installing the wheel it is objectionable to spring the harp-arms to get the bolt through them, as it is liable to strain them, while an undue elongation of the bolt-hole is necessary unless a good deal of care and labor are expended in keeping them substantially parallel with their original positions. The only method of obviating these disadvantages in the ball-bearing trolley-wheels with which I am familiar is to make the bolt-holes through the harp-arms in the form of slots extending to the edge of the arms. This overcomes the necessity of springing the harp, but presents disadvantages of its own, in that the jar of running or centrifugal force if the trolley leaves the wire may throw the wheel out of the harp. I overcome the defects of both constructions by having the central boltD threaded throughout its length, so that the wheel may be installed by passing the bolt through one harp-arm, through one cone,.then through the wheel, through the opposite cone, and through the other harp-arm. I regard this as an important feature of my invention. The countersinking of the nuts by reason of having them stand in the recesses, as shown, is another important feature, as it prevents them striking the wire in case the trolleywheel should leave it. It will be seen that there is no opportunity for the conductor, if the wheel leaves it, to lodge between the wheel and harp, as the tangent plane of the side of the wheel is substantially coincident with the inner side of the harp-arm,'and therefore if the Wheel leaves the conductor the harp-arm strikes it and the trolley-head slides out from under it.

In installing the wheel I prefer to place within the wheel-hole Z) a dummy pin of a length substantially equal to the width of the wheel and of a diameter such that the cones easily slide upon it. Placing the wheel upon its side, with this pin projecting through it, I put the requisite number of balls in the upper ball-cup and place the cone upon them, surrounding the dummy pin. I then turn the wheel, with the cone, pin, and balls, the other side up and place the balls in the other cup and put the other cone in place, with the pin in its interior. I then place the wheel, with the cones and balls and pin in this form, between the arms of the harp in proper position and screw the bolt D from the outside into one of the cones. A screw-driver slit (Z provided in one or both ends of the bolt furnishes convenient means for turning it, while the cone may be held stationary by a suitable wrench engaging the nut portion 6. As the bolt advances, the dummy pin is ejected through the opposite arm of the harp. The turning of the bolt is continued until it has been screwed through both cones and projects equally into each harp-arm. This ejects the dummy pin. I now hold the bolt stationary and turn the cones to adjust the ballbearing as desired, after which I screw the nuts G onto each end of the bolt. These nuts .not only look the bolt to the harp, but cause integral with the bolt, being simply a bolthead, and in that case the thread on the bolt need not extend quite to the bolt-head, the portion of the bolt which lies between the head and the first cone requiring no thread. If desired, the bolt might also have its central portion stripped of threads, provided said portion be of small enough diameter to pass through the cone in entering the wheel-hole. When I speak herein of a bolt threaded substantially throughout its length, I mean to include such constructions as these.

My ball-bearin g trolley-head is particularly adapted to be constructed from an old or even worn-out head of ordinary construction. The wheel-hole b is reamed out, if necessary, the recesses I) turned into the sides of the wheel, and the ball-cups forced in place. The recesses a are formed in the harp-arms and the holes a enlarged by reaming or reduced by bushing if their conditionrenders it desirable. The wheel and ball-bearin g are then installed as already described.

Having described my invention, I claim The combination with a trolley-wheel hav* ing ball-bearings and balls, of a bolt threaded in one direction throughout its length substantially as described and adapted to receive means forrotatiou, similarly-threaded cones,

a harp having unthreaded apertured arms, and clamping-nuts arranged to bind the bolt and the cones to the harp whereby the parts may be assembled without springing the arms of the harp; substantially as-specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT E. HITCH. lVitnesses:

ALBERT H. BATES, E. L. THURSTON. 

